Philadelphia



mo Mael.;

E. T. STARR. Y

PRIMARY 0R GALVANIG BATTERY.

Patented lJuly?, 1885T fue .2. E l

l v 6, I I 6 j; I- 51- nil IIIIIII'IUIIIIIIllllllllllll ,i'iiiiiiiiieWITNESSES;

l INV-ENTOFL:

un. lm, mmm. www ma.

UNTTE a STATES PATENT einen.

ELI T. STARR, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE S. S. HITEDENTAL MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

PRIMARY OR GALVANIC BATTERY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 321,917, dated July 7,1885.

Application filed January 8, 1885. (No model.)

To (LZZ whom it .may concern:

Beit known that I, ELI T. STARR, of the city and county of Philadelphia,in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented certainnew and usefulImprovements in Primary or Galvanic Batteries, of which the following isa fpecication.

My invention relates to primary or galvanic batteries for generatingelectricity, and more particularly to that class of such batteries inwhich porous cells or partitions are used to separate two liquids ofdifferent specific gravity or of different characters in which therespective electrodes or battery-plates are immersed.

The object of my invention more particularly is to'construct a batterycombining great quantity and intensity with constancy of current.

By my improvements I have improved the construction and arrangement ofthe anode and cathode elements, and have so organized the battery orcell in connection with a porous cup or partition as to support saidelements Y closely together, but out of contact, whereby the internalresistance of the cell is lessened. I have also improved theconstruction of the porous cup or partition and of the cover of thebattery-cell.

All my improvements are first particularly described in detail asorganized in the best way now known to me, and my said improvements arethen spec-ideally set forth in the claims at the close of thisspecification.

Some of the improvements herein claimed by me may be used without theothers, and in batteries differing from that particularly describedherein.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a vertical central sectionthrough my improved battery on the line l I of Fig. 4. Fig. 2 is asection at right angles to that depicted in Fig. 1 on the line 2 2'ofFig. 3. Fig. 3 is a top or plan view of the .improved battery, and Fig.I a similar view with a portion of the porous cup and the anode orpositive element in section. Fig. 5 is a view of the porous cup orpartition detached.

The battery vessel or cell A, which may be 5o of glass or other suitablematerial, is preferof the cup and includes the projections or ablyprovided with a top or cover, B, having a raised rim, b, around its edgeto prevent the escape of 'any of the liquid of the battery which mayfind egress to the outer surface of said top and insure its return tothe cell through a central opening, b', in said cover. Thebattery-vessel A may be four-sided, as shown in theseveral figures ofthe drawings, or of other shape, as may be desired. A ilat porous cup,C, is inserted through the open- 6o ing in the cover B, and is supportedat its upper end by means of lugs or aswelled enlargement, c, at thenarrow sides or edges of the cup, which rest upon the cover, as mostclearly shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 5. The dat sides of 6 5 the porous cupC, near its upper edge, are provided with thickened pieces, ledges, orprojections c', which extend nearly across the iiat sides of the cup.The object of these thickened pieces or shoulders will be presently eX-plained. Said porous cup C is glazed or made non-porous on its narrowsides or edges c`l ci, and at its bottom c3, and this glazed ornonporous portion extends around to the dat sides shoulders c upon theflat sides of the cup, whichhavebeen abovedescribed. Saidledges orprojections c' terminate below the top edge of the cup, so as to preventthe iiuid of the cell from lodging upon the edge of the cup, which fluidmight produce a short circuit between the elements of the cell were abroad shoulder at the top edge of the cup presented for the lodgment ofany of the liquid which might reach to the top of said cup. The flatsides c4 of the cup C are porous or unglazed, and this porous portion ofthe cup is suiiiciently illustrated in Fig. 5. It will thus be seen thatI use in my improved cell a flat porous cup, the narrow edges,bottom,andtop of which are glazed or rendered non-porous, while the broad flatsides of said cup are made porous for the electrical communicationbetween the element or electrode within the cup and that at its sides,which will be presently 95 explained.

The anode or positive plate D is a fiat zinc plate, and is immersed inthe porous cup, as clearly shown in the drawings. This plate D isprovided at its upper end with two up# Ioo ward]y-projecting arms ormembers, d d, terminating in enlarged ends or heads d d, which extendover the upper edge of the porous cup and rest upon the top or cover ofthe batterycell, and are thereby supported so that the zinc or anodeplate is supported away from the bottom of the porous cup within whichit is contained. The arms or members d d of the zinc or anode plate Dare substantially goosenecked or curved, so as to carry their sup--portingheads dd outside the porous cup and enable them to rest upon thebattery-cover and be supported by it, as before explained. The enlargedheads or endsd dof the zinc plate D are preferably drilled with lateralholes d d2 for thereception of the conducting wires, which may befastened in place by means of the binding-posts d* dt, operating atright angles to and intersecting the openings dZ di, above described.Between the arms or members d d of the plate D and in the body of saidplate is formed a pocket, d5, for the reception of mercu ry d, whichwill be distributed through the body and over the surface of theelectrode, thus keeping' it amalgamated.

I have described the arms or members d d of the plate D as preferablycurved or goosenecked. Said members are also preferably round orcircular in cross-section, so as to be easily fitted with a ring orpiece of rubber tubing, (ZG, the purpose of which is to prevent theact-ion of the iiud contained within the porous cup at its surface uponsaid arms or members, the rubber tubing preventing the action of theliquid at its surface and for a short distance above it upon said armsor members, thus greatly' increasing the durability ofthe zinc plate.

tVhen the anode or positive element D is of zinc, I preferably coat theconductingwire, which is secured thereto by means of the binding-postaforesaid,with zinc prior to connecting the wire to the zinc plate,which application of a zinc coating at the end of the wire may beaccomplished in different Waysfor instance, by dipping the wire whenproperly cleansed into melted zinc covered with salammoniac. Thiscoating of the conductingwire prior to fastening it to the zinc platereduces the tendency to oxidation at the point of connection, it being awell-known fact that different metals in contact are more readilyoxidized at the joints or connections by the passage of an electriccurrent than where the metals in contact are of the same nature or kind,and this oxidation increases the resistance of the circuit at the pointof connection, which is a disadvantage.

The cathode or negative element of the battery consists, preferably, oftwo flat carbon plates, F F, facing the iiat sides c" of the porous cupC, one carbon plate being placed upon each side of said cup and held inposition by means of a suitable clamp-plate, E, to which thecarbon-plates are clamped by suitable set-screws, c e. The clamp-plate Ewith the carbon plates attached thereto rests upon the upper edge oftheporous cup G and supports the carbon plates above the bottom of the celland close to the sides of said cup but out of contact with the poroussides or portion of said cup, inasmuch as the earbons are prevented fromtouching said porous portion of the cup by reason of the projections orledges c at the top of said cup and its glazed bottom, as clearly shownin Figs. 2, 3, and 4, for example. The conducting-wire of the cathode orcarbonelement may be soldered to the clamp-plate,or be fastened theretoby a transverse opening and binding-screw, or in any other suitable way.

The object in constructing the porous cup with the fiat sides cl thereofporous only and the balance of the cup glazed is to prevent theabsorption of. the fluid at portions of the cup Without the capacity ofdoing electrical work or assisting in the generation of an electr-i calcurrent, and this glazing of the non-active or non-eifective portions ofthe cup prevents useless and unnecessarily rapid mixing or equalzing ofthe fluids, which, when such takes place, causes the action of thebattery to cease.

I prefer the carbon plates F to be corrugated longitudinally, so thatthe projections or ribs of the corrngation will be vertical. Thiscorrugation of the carbon plates increases the surface and preventslodgment of particles thereon, which would occur if the ribs extendedhorizontally or crosswise of the plate, and which might tend toshort-circuit the battery. y I have neglectedto say that I prefer toface the clamp E at the point where the carbons are clamped thereto andin contact therewith with platinum strips, whereby good contact betweenthe clamp and carbons is insured.

The fluid I prefer to employ in my improved battery-cell is the ordinarybichromatc of potash for the cell outside the porous cup and in whichthe carbon plates are immersed, while the fluid of the porous cup inwhich the zinc or anode plate is immersed and suspended is preferablywater acidulated with a small quantity of sulphuric acid-say a ten percent. solution-or the Huid may be bisulphate of mercury with ten percent. of sulphuric acid added. By suspending the porous cup above thebottom of the battery jar or vessel and with the carbons suspendedalongside ot said cup the heavy or polarized fluid of the battery isallowed to fall clear of the carbon elcment; and so,also, by suspendingthe zinc electrode above the bottom of the porous cup the collection ofsalts of mercury upon the bottom of the zinc or anode electrode isprevented.

I have found by practical experience that a battery-cell, organized ashereinbefore described, is very eilicient, and that it has the capacity,when at rest, of recruiting or building up, and this to an extent notknown in other forms of batteries which have come under my notice.

IIO

My battery possesses considerable quantity and intensity, and is veryconstant in its action.

I claim herein as my invention- 1. A porous cup having portions thereofporous and other portions non-porous, and provided with projections, sboulders, or ledges to prevent contact between said porous portions ofsaid cup and the battery plates or (-lements facing said porous portionsof the cup, substantially as described.

2. A substantially flat porous cup having its broad sides porous, andprovided with projections, ledges, or shoulders to prevent contactbetween said porous sides of the cup and the battery plates or elementsfacing said porous sides, substantially as described.

3. A substantially tlat porous cup provided with lugs or enlargements atits upper end at its narrow edges constituting the supporting portionsof said cup,substantially as described.

4. A porous cup provided with lugs or enlargements at its upper endconstituting the supporting portions of the cup, and with projections orledges by which the cathode or carbon plates or their equivalent areheld away from the sides of said cup, substantially as described.

5. The flatbodied Zinc electrode for galvanic batteries having oppositegoose-necked or curved supporting-arms, circular in crosssection, andiitted wit-h tubes or bands of insulating material at the line ofjunction of air and electrolyte or battery fluid, substantially asdescribed.

6. The anode or zine element of a galvanic battery having abinding-screw to secure the conducting-wire thereto,saidwirebeing,whereit is connected with the anode plate, provided with a coating of Zine orwith a coating of the saine metal as that of which the anode plate iscomposed, substantially as described.

7. -The combination, in a galvanic battery,

of the battery-vessel and its cover, the porous cup fitted in saidvessel, a flat-bodied Zinc electrode fitted in said porous cup andhaving supporting-arms rising therefromvand resting upon the cover ofsaid vessel, so as to be suspended therein, while readily removablethereA f from, the carbon electrode plates titted on opposite sides ofsaid porous cup and outside thereof, and suitable battery-duid in whichsaid electrodes are immersed, substantially as described.

8. The combination of the battery cell or vessel, the cover thereof, theporous cup supported by said cover, the cathode or carbon elementsupported by said porous cup, and the anode or zinc element immersed insaid cup, and provided with curved arms or members which extend upoutside the cup and rest upon the cover of the battery-vessel to supportsaid anode plate above the bottom of the porous cup, substantially asdescribed.

9. The cathode or carbon plates clamped to a single conducting-plate andtted to lie face to face with the porous sides of a porous cupcontaining the Zinc or anode plate of the battery, saidclamp-plate-resting upon and being supported by the upper edge of saidporous cup, substantially as described.

10. In a galvanic battery, the combination, with the electrodes andiiuid thereof, of a battery cell or vessel and its cover, said coverhaving a raised rim or edge to prevent the escape of the batteryiluidthat may nd its way to the outside of the cell, and with an opening orchannel in said cover to insure the return of said fluid to the cell,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof ,I have hereunto subscribed my name.

ELI T. STARR.

Vitnesses:

WM. J. PEYTON, E. EUGENE STARR.

